Slack-adjuster arrangement



Aug. 26 1924.

L. L. WHITNEY SLACK ADJUSTER ARRANGEMENT Filed Jul 5,

Patented Aug. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOREN L. WHITNEY, OF HAMMOND, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN STEEL FOUN- DRIES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SLACK-ADJUSTER ARRANGEMENT.

Application filed. July 3,

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, LOREN L. IVHITNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hammond, in the county of Lake and State. of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Slack-Adjuster Arrangement, of which the following is a specification.

,This invention relates to a slack adjuster arrangement which is adapted for use particularly in connection with brakes.

The object of this invention is to provide a slack adjuster arrangement in which the parts may be easily and quickly assembled without distorting any of said parts and arranged to. cooperate in a manner to meet all the requirements for the intended use.

This and other objects are accomplished by means of the arrangement disclosed on the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the body part of the adjuster block;

Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is an end elevation of one of the arms of the adjuster block;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the same arm;

Figure 5 is a plan View of the adjuster jaw together with a plan view of the body and separate arms comprising the adjuster block and showing the method of assembling the parts of the adjuster block within the jaw;

Figure 6 is a similar plan view showing the main body portion of the adjuster block in position and the arms cooperating with the sides of the jaw;

Figure 7 is a similar plan view showing the parts of the adjuster block completely assembled within the adjuster jaw; and

Figure 8 is a side elevation of the arrangement shown in Figure 7.

The various novel features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and drawings, and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the figures of the drawings, it will be noted that the slack adjuster includes a relatively movable member 10 having a jaw portion 11 in the form of a closed loop with sides 12. An adjuster block comprising a main body member 13 and two separate arms 14 are mounted within the jaw, and, as a matter of fact, are not assembled until 1922. Serial No. 572,398.

after being placed within the jaw. The main body portion 13 has two pockets 15 which are adapted to receive projections 16 at the rear ends of the arms 14. The main body portion 13 and the projections 16 are provided with alined openings 17 and 18 for the reception of pins 19 whereby the arms 14 may be locked to the main body portion 13. The arms 14 have upper and lower flanges 20 and 21 respectively, which engage the upper and lower edges respectively of the sides 12 for adjustably guiding the adjuster block and the adjuster jaw in their relative movementsf Similarly, the main body portion 13 is provided with upper and lower flanges 22 and 23 in alinement with flanges'20 and 21 respectively, for the same purpose. 1

In View of the fact that the flanges 20, 21, 22 and 23 are provided, it is readily apparent that if the arms 14 and the main body portion 13 were assembled prior to being placed within the jaw, it would be quite impossible to place the adjuster block within the jaw, especially if some of the parts were not bent or otherwise distorted. Accordingly, I have provided a simple adjuster block comprising three cooperating parts which may be quickly and easily assembled within the jaw. In this connection the three parts in question are placed within the jaw as shown in Figure 5, whereupon the main body portion is turned through an angle of 90 degrees, in which position its upper and lower flanges 22 and 23 respectively, engage the upper and lower edges respectively of the sides 12 of the jaw 11. The arms 14 are then placed into cooperative association with the sides 12 as shown in Figure 6, so that their flanges 20 and 21 embrace the sides 12. Then the projections 16 on the arms 14 are placed within the pockets 15 and the openings 17 and 18 brought into register, whereupon cotter pins 19 are set in position to lock the three parts of the adjuster block together, as shown in Figures 7 and 8. One end of an adjusting screw 24 is then operatively connected with the main body portion 13 of the adjuster block in a manner such that when the adjusting screw 24 is rotated in one direction the block and jaw will be given a relative movement in a given direction and when the screw is rotated in an opposite direction the block and aw are given a relative movethe spaced arms 14 and the fulcrum pin thereof is to be received in the bifurcations 25 in the ends of the arms 14, the pin being held in place by keyspassing throughthe alined openings 26 in the arms 14. The brake lever and its fulcrum pin and cotter keys mentioned have not been shown for they'form vno part of the invention.

It is myintention to cover all modifications of the invention falling within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A slack adjuster including, in combination, an adjuster jaw, and an adjuster block comprising a plurality. of separate pieces which are capable ofbeing assembled after being brought within the jaw, said block and jaw having cooperating portions for guidedly maintaining same in operative position.

2. A slack adjuster including, in combina tion, an adjuster jaw, and an adjuster block comprising a main body portion-and a plurality of spaced arms connected thereto,

which main body portion and arms are capable of being assembled to form a single unit after being brought Within the jaw, said block and jaw having cooperating portions for guidedly maintaining samein' operative position.

3. A slack adjuster including, in combination, an adjuster jaw, and an adjuster block comprising a main body portion and a pair of arms separate from said main body portion which are capable of being assembled after being brought within the jaw, said main body portion having pockets and said arms having projections received in said pockets for forming .a .connection between said parts, said block and jaw having cooperating portions for maintaining same in operative position.

4. A slack adjuster including, in combination, an adjuster jaw, and an adjuster block comprising a main body part and two separate spaced arms connected thereto, said arms and jaw having cooperating portions for guidedly maintaining same inoperative association.

Signed at Hammond, Indiana, this 22nd day of June, 1922. V LOREN L. lVHITNEY. 

